Romanian SocDem leader turns down invitation to US event to attend budget talks

Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), said he received an invitation to the National Prayer Breakfast, a yearly event held in Washington, D.C, but will not go as he needs to attend the talks about the 2019 budget, Digi24.ro reported. “I declined the invitation because I need to be present at these talks on the budget,” he said. The announcement about Dragnea’s visit to the US was made by the local PSD Teleorman organization. It described the visit, in a Facebook post, as “a new international success.” Dragnea was reportedly supposed to be a “guest” of president Donald Trump. The Government is to pass the 2019 budget on February 8. One of the main issues in this year’s budget refers to the revenues and expenses that the local authorities will have to take over this year. Mayors in Romania’s biggest cities are unhappy with the Government’s plan to give them more expenses to cover, besides higher revenues. Dragnea met yesterday, February 6, with the mayors of large cities in the country but no consensus was reached. While Dragnea said local administrations will receive more money this year, the mayors insisted that they were losing funds. “We have assurances from the Government that they will have at least the budgets they had last year; many cities will have even higher revenues, taking into account the expenses for the payment of the companions for people with disabilities; in counties and communes, the revenues will be substantially higher. There is a 27% increase for the entire public local administration,” Dragnea said. But mayors said that the increased budgets do not mean anything if city halls have to cover the social security expenses. They also worry that the investment budgets will be significantly reduced. Today, February 7, the mayors met with finance minister Eugen Teodorovici, again to no result. Both Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea and District 3 mayor Robert Negoiță said the local budgets are being “slaughtered,” Stiri.tvr.ro reported. The mayor of Bucharest said she would turn to the commissions of the Parliament to attempt to receive higher allocations. If this will not work, she might even go to court, she said, as the lower budget will impact various public services, from the public transport to the way hospitals function. First-tier Romanian cities accuse Govt. of cutting their financing